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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27052045">Tired</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aquarianowl/pseuds/Aquarianowl'>Aquarianowl</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Ghost Hunt</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M, Fluff, Gen, One shot maybe, SPR may or may not have an actual case, Tea, We have a stubborn naru and a concerned mai, only half the crew is here because the weather gods ship it, some out of character naru for story reasons</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 05:07:13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,422</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27052045</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aquarianowl/pseuds/Aquarianowl</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>SPR has a new case that seems to just be a publicity stunt. Mai thinks they're being used as a publicity stunt. Lin just wants to go back to the office at this point. Naru is determined to find something because he just can not be wrong about this and decides sleep is just a waste of time when he could be working.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Oliver Davis/Taniyama Mai, Shibuya Kazuya/Taniyama Mai</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>23</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Tired</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hey, this is the first fic I've ever posted, so please be nice, but constructive criticism is always appreciated. This may be my only contribution to the Ghost Hunt fandom, but it was fun to write. May or may not add more to the story in a second chapter.  Enjoy the fic~</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It had been a rough case. The client, Fujita Nobu, had come to the office and raved to Naru about evil spirits harassing his customers and ruining his business. He said there had been knocking on the walls, blood dripping from windows, furniture moving when no one was in the room, customers being possessed, and cell phones and jewelry vanishing and reappearing months later.</p>
<p><br/>Naru had been intrigued, and after some debate on the safety of the irregulars, had decided to take the case. Lin, Naru, and Mai had arrived at the small Hokkaido hotel first, with Ayako, Monk, and John set to arrive the next day. The trio spent the day setting up the equipment, spread thermometers around the old building, placing cameras in heavy activity areas, and telling customers and staff to not touch anything. Well, really Mai had done most of the warning to the other inhabitants of the hotel, Naru and Lin were more interested in finding witnesses and talking to staff about their experiences. The next day, Ayako called to announce that their plane had been canceled thanks to the bad weather and that they would probably get there the next day. That next day had turned in to several days as the weather had taken a turn after the trio arrived. That left Mai one with the quietest people in the world, and after three days of being stuck with them, Mai was beginning to wonder if the other half of their group was using the storm as an excuse to avoid their boss. Maybe they were partying in Tokyo while she was left to suffer the silence of the two men.</p>
<p><br/>Not only was the silence of Naru and Lin borderline insufferable, but since they had arrive at the hotel nothing had happened. Nothing. Zip. Ziltch. Not even so much as a cold spot in the 20 rooms they had placed thermometers. Even the basement and attic of the hotel had been benign, welcoming even. No wait, it rained and the ceiling in one of the bedrooms had been leaking since they arrived, but that was the most exciting thing that had happened int eh past three days.</p>
<p><br/>Between making tea for Naru and sifting through old papers and records to find something, anything, related to any sort of death, Mai was beginning to lose her mind. She was even volunteering to record the thermometers every hour just to get out of that silent room filled with only the tap of the keyboards Lin and Naru were glued to. She almost looked forward to Naru asking to tea to have some kind of sound around. By the end of day 2, Mai had started swapping out with Lin so the older man could get a chance to stretch his legs once in a while, though always leaving a shiki behind to keep an eye on Naru. When she offered to give Naru a break, he just refused to look away and kept his eyes glued to the screen, swapping between cameras and local historical society websites, and just called for another cup of tea. Mai had lost track of which cup he was on by the end of day 1.</p>
<p><br/>Mai flopped her head back against the stiff sofa she had taken residence on. The Inn had put aside 4 rooms for SPR, 3 for them to use to sleep in, and one for base, and they had been kind enough to move two sofas, a coffee table, and several tables into the room. Mai was just glad they had a hot plate and an en suite bathroom for water to keep Naru’s tea addition satisfied. She took her phone out of her pocket and flipped it open, frowning at the blank screen. Still no messages from Ayako, Monk, or John. Monk had gotten her a phone a couple weeks ago so she could stay in contact with the other members if something ever happened, but did <em>he</em> ever remember she had it? No, of course not. Not when half their group was missing and she was stranded with two brick walls and had no idea if they were even coming to the hotel. She snapped it shut with a huff.</p>
<p><br/>Mai bounced off the sofa and strode over to Lin and offered to take his spot so he could take a break. He showed a faint hint of a smile and thanked her as he stood to his full height and stretched, then he walked out of the room. Mai jumped into his chair and spun around in it twice before focusing on the screen in front of her. She caught the tall man for a minute from the camera facing the hall, then he disappeared around a corner. After spending 20 minutes clicking though the cameras and nothing catching her eye, she settled on the camera facing the conference room. Nothing had happened so far, but Mr. Fujita had said furniture would often be rearranged in there. Mai rested her head in her hand and mindlessly zoomed in and out of the live feed with the mouse. From the left, she heard Naru stop typing and she could practically feel him boring holes into the side of her head with his eyes and she felt a few prickles of sweat start to bead. She stopped scrolling.<br/>“Mai, tea.” It wasn’t a question.</p>
<p><br/>“’Kay!” She hopped out of the chair, desperate to get away from her boss. If she was bored, he was growing impatient and irritated. She hopped the tea would placate him for a bit, or at least until Lin returned.<br/>Soon Mai had a pot on stand by for any more requests, and Naru was quietly sipping his own as he glared at the screens. Lin had finally returned after Mai had sent another message to Ayako and Monk. She happily relinquished the chair to him and wandered back to the pile of documents and flopped onto the couch. She stared at the text function, willing a little number to appear by the envelope. After a moment, she snapped it shut again and gently tossed it onto the table.</p>
<p><br/>“Ugh, stupid Monk and Ayako! Its been three days and not so much as a text!? The weather can’t be that bad, right?” Mai complained to no one in particular.<br/>“Mai, I’m sure they’re fine,” Lin replied, not looking away from his computer screen.</p>
<p><br/>“There appears to be some issues with cell phone tower in the area due to the storm, you probably won’t hear anything from them until the towers are fixed,” Naru stated a few minutes later.<br/>“Issues with the cell towers? But the storm started days ago?”</p>
<p><br/>“They’ve been down since Tuesday evening,” he continued, “Its been on the news since they went down. You really should pay more attention to the world around you, idiot.”</p>
<p><br/>“Why didn’t you tell us, jerkface!?” She exploded, “In case you haven’t noticed, I’ve been looking at newpapers that are, like, fifty years old! Not all of us have been looking at websites all day, you jerk!” She continued to fume for a bit longer, loudly ruffling whatever paper she was on now just to annoy him. By now, she had gotten into the 1960’s in her pile and something was beginning to gnaw at her. She hadn’t found a single death related to the old building yet. Not so much as an accident or natural death. Nothing.</p>
<p><br/>“Hey Naru, do you really think this place is haunted?” she asked. “We’ve been investigating this place for 3 days already and so far we havening found anything. No temperature changes, no anomalies, I haven’t even had a dream about this place.” It was true, normally within the first day or two of a case Mai would have been attacked or at least had a dream relating to the case. It wasn’t like she enjoyed being a ghost magnet, but it was started to get weird now. “I haven’t even fallen asleep or even had a dream when I was just sleeping like normal, like not even a being-chased-by-a-donut kinda dream.”</p>
<p><br/>“Ghosts don’t always reveal themselves as quickly as you’ve seen on previous cases, Mai,” he replied, not looking away from the screen, “Although, given the plethora of activity Mr. Fujita described, something should have happened by now . . .” he trailed off at the end, as if unsure what to make of the lack of activity as well.</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <em>So, the narcissist admits he doesn’t understand the case either! Mai thought triumphantly.</em>
</p>
<p><br/>“We still don’t have a complete history of the property,” Lin mentioned, looking up from his screen for moment, then returning his gaze.</p>
<p><br/>She waited for either of the men to add to the conversation, but after five minutes of just typing she gave up. With a sigh, she resigned herself back to the terrible fate of skimming through even more old newspapers and copies of legal documents. She was still only half way through the stack. Although it was a small hotel, it had been around for a while and had a surprising amount if visitors, especially during peak tourist season. The hotel itself had been standing for over 100 years, however, at least up until 1960, not a single death had occurred in the building or on the property.<br/>After another hour, Mai risked opening her phone again. Still no reply and it was nearly 6:00 pm. Her stomach rumbled. “Well, I still can’t find any deaths and I’m starving. Do you two want anything from the kitchen?” she asked as she stood up and stretched out her sore back. “Now, don’t all speak at once,” she added flatly.</p>
<p><br/>The two just asked for whatever the special was, and with that, Mai wandered down to the dinning area to order some food. The building was done in classical Japanese architecture, but were all done in a more modern style. It gave the place a weird vibe, but nothing hostile or unwelcoming. Just kind of mashed together. The common areas all had sliding paper doors, tatami mat flooring, dark wooden floors in the halls and trim, and all the rooms had pale walls. All the actual guest rooms in the hotel had a similar style, but they had been packed with western style furnishings from four post beds to walk in closets. Mai padded down the dark wooden stairs that opened into the more traditional foyer of the hotel. Quickly she was able to find the dining room and order their food. The waitress offered her a table to wait at while the food was prepared, but Mai decided to take another look around the main floor instead. Who knows, maybe she would get a weird feeling or see something.</p>
<p><br/>As Mai wandered down one of the adjacent halls, a couple nearly collided with her. Mai watched as the stumbled down the rest of the hall, unlocked a door, and slipped in. Ever since SPR had arrived, the place had been busy. It was close to tourist season, according to the records of 1940-1968, but aside from the rooms SPR had been specifically asked to look into, all the rooms were booked and there was never a moment of privacy on the ground floor. <em>I bet that slimy owner is just using us as publicity </em> she thought with a frown. Normally clients were straightforward and just wanted SPR to help them, but with every passing day, Mai was growing increasingly skeptical of this place. In so many other places, she had already been kidnapped – ghostnapped? – or had astral projected, or had witnessed the death of a spirit in her dreams, but nothing at all had happened here. Her flawless intuition was telling her they were being used and duped.</p>
<p><br/>Mai was so deep in thought, she hadn’t noticed an employee calling her until she felt a hand on her shoulder. Mai nearly jumped out of her skin.</p>
<p><br/>“Ah, sorry Sweetie, I didn’t mean to frighten you, but your food it all ready back at the dining room,” The older women told her.</p>
<p><br/>“No, no, it’s alright, I was zoning out,” Mai frantically replied and started rushing to the dining room to pick up the food, eager to get out of the awkward encounter.</p>
<p><br/>          .                  .                      .                .               .                      .                .                  .                   .               .          .                 .</p>
<p><br/>Mai returned to base with a tray of three steaming bowls of Yakisoba and a small bowl of strawberry daifuku. The kitchen staff had added on the dessert, saying that they had all been working so hard, it was the least they would do for what they were doing to rid the hotel of the spirits that had plagued their guests.</p>
<p><br/>Mai was still skeptical, but had gladly accepted the dessert.</p>
<p><br/>Lin was kind enough to clear off the table before she set down the food and began to boil water in preparation for Naru’s inevitable demand for more tea. They ate, discussed ideas about the case, Naru called Mai and idiot, Mai called Naru a jerk, and Lin listened to the teens as he ate his dinner.</p>
<p><br/>“Hey, all I’m saying is that nothing has happened and we don’t have any leads or evidence. I think Mr. Fujita is leading us on and using us as a publicity stunt,” Mai defended before popping a Daifuku in her mouth.<br/>“Unless we’re dealing with an intelligent haunting, idiot. This case has been unusually quiet with an unusual history,” he took a sip of his tea.</p>
<p><br/>“Its only unusual if something is actually here. If Masako was here, she’d tell you that,” Mai replied, growing more annoyed. “We haven’t been getting any evidence because there’s no evidence to collect. I’m not an idiot, you narcissist, I’m just pointing out the obvious.”</p>
<p><br/>“Unfortunately, Miss Hara isn’t here.”</p>
<p><br/>Lin watched the two teens bicker as he sipped his tea. This was an unusual case, in that there was no case. At this point he was starting to think that Naru knew that two and was just being stubborn now. He had to side with Mai in this one, though. There just wasn’t anything for them to find here. He quietly sipped his tea and let the two have at it, though. Maybe they would tire themselves out and he could power through the rest of the research on his own and convince Naru to give up on this in the morning.</p>
<p><br/>.                  .                    .                     .                      .                             .                    .                        .                      .                     .                        .                              .</p>
<p> </p>
<p>After the food had been finished off, Mai resolved to at least try and call Monk or Ayako while Naru and Lin cleared off the coffee table and replaced the pile of old documents. Mai got a busy signal for both and gave up after the third failed call. She swore if she ever found out that they were ignoring her calls and eloping or something she would get revenge. Mai made here way back to the room, and Naru once again called for tea. Mai couldn’t help but wonder how much caffeine that boy had consumed from his tea obsession today. On second thought, maybe she didn’t want to know.</p>
<p><br/>During dinner, they all resolved to work another hour before taking monitor shifts for the night. Mai didn’t last long on the sofa, however. The heavy dinner and the warmth of the blanket she wrapped around her legs and the rhythmic sound of the typing was too much. Soon she was snuggled into the cushions, sound asleep with the last newspaper of the 60’s clutched in her hand. To say Naru and Lin were surprised by this discovery would be an overstatement. The two simply shrugged and continued to work, coming to the conclusion that one of them would have to take the first shift. Naru volunteered to take the first, much to Lin’s chagrin. He tried to argue, but Naru shrugged him off, saying he’d be fine since Lin was just across the hall. Finally Lin relented, leaving several Shiki with the teens, just in case.</p>
<p><br/>.                  .                    .                   .                    .                       .                     .                  .                      .                       .                        .                   .                   .                       .</p>
<p><br/>One dreamless sleep later, Mai found herself back on the slightly stiff sofa in the base. The jacket she had left on the arm was draped over her shoulders and she heard the soft tap of a keyboard. When she turned her head, she saw Naru, still in front of the monitors. Slowly, Mai got up from her makeshift bed and walked over to her boss.</p>
<p><br/>“Ugh, how long was I out for Naru,” she asked once she got up to him. He didn’t reply.</p>
<p><br/>Mai glanced at the time on his computer, 3:52 AM it said in small white letters in the corner of the screen. The time glared at her and she slowly shifted her gave back to the dark haired teen. He definitely had dark bags under his eyes, which were on the verge of being bloodshot. A small part of her wanted to tease him for not looking as impeccable as he normally did. His hair was tousled like his had constantly run his hands through it, his shirt was wrinkled, and she noticed a small stain on his sleeve, along with a somewhat fresh cup of tea sitting by his hand. <em>So his royal highness <strong>was</strong> capable of making his own tea. Shocking! </em> Mai thought to herself. But she had something else she was more concerned with.</p>
<p><br/>“Naru, did you take my shift?” she asked with a yawn.</p>
<p><br/>Naru responded with a grunt and seemed to stifle a yawn of his own.</p>
<p><br/>“Naru, have you just been working this whole time?” Its nearly four in the morning,” she was a little worried now. She actually was having trouble remembering the last time she had seen her boss actually go to bed in the past couple of days.</p>
<p><br/>“Obviously I’ve been working, Mai,”even his quip sounded as exhausted as he looked. “What do you want?”</p>
<p><br/>Mai raised an eyebrow and leaned over to look her boss in the face. He rubbed his eyes with one hand and went for his mug with the other. Mai’s hand was faster. “Nope, you’re cut off from tea. You need sleep, not more caffeine,” she stated as she set the mug on the far side of the table.</p>
<p><br/>“You know I can just get up and grab it from that table, don’t you?”</p>
<p><br/>“Then do it,” she challenged.</p>
<p><br/>Naru ignored her but didn’t move. “Mai, give me that tea or I’ll fire you,” he sounded angry this time. He tried to glare at her, but instead of looking authoritative and commanding, he reminded her of a cat from a video Michiko had showed her the other day. He gave another warning, “<em>Mai. Tea.</em>”</p>
<p><br/>She thought for a second, trying to remember if they had any herbal teas or caffeine free blends, but all they had was black tea and a few random packets she’d had packed several months ago. She couldn’t remember exactly what she had thrown in, however. “Naru, no. We don’t have any decaf tea and you need sleep, not that.” She wrapped her hands around one of his arms and tried to drag him out of the chair, but he was dead weight.</p>
<p><br/>Naru rubbed his eye with his free palm and demanded tea again, visibly confused it didn’t work the first time, and settled further in his chair.</p>
<p><br/>“No, Naru, you’ve had enough,” she grunted out. Mai rested for a second then tried once again to drag her boss out of his chair, but he was heavier than he looked.</p>
<p><br/>“Mai,” he started, looking at her as though what he had so say was the most important thing in the world, “I still have work to do, there’s still evidence to find.”</p>
<p><br/>“Not at four in the morning on my shift,” she muttered back. She was starting to think looking for a packet of decaf tea was the best way to calm him down. “I guess I could see if I have any decaf in the bag . . .” she thought out loud.</p>
<p><br/>“Decafe,” her boss began, “Is for quitters and idiots, Mai. I don’t quit. I haven’t slept in approximately thirty kilometers, I’ve gone for forty before, Mai. This is nothing!” he declared with confidence.<br/>Mai stared at him for a solid minute, unblinking. He did look like he hadn’t slept in at least two days, but probably three at this point. In fact, Mai couldn’t remember the last time she saw him take a break. She thought back to all the tea she had made that day. At least a cup every hour. Mai gulped.</p>
<p><br/>“Oooookay,” she finally said. <em>Time for a new plan, codename: Bribery </em>. Mai stood up and move to the back of Naru’s chair and started pushing him over to the sofa, his feet dragging uselessly on the floor. “Alright Naru, I’ll make you some tea, you just have to sit on the sofa while I make it.”<br/>“You don’t need to push the chair, Mai, I can walk. Or did you forget I have legs, idiot?” Naru said as she wheeled him across the room, but made no effort to stand up.<br/>“Yeah, I’m going to ignore that for now since you’re sleep deprived and clearly not thinking straight, but you will pay for this tomorrow, jerkface. Now sit on the sofa or I won’t make any tea,” she said.<br/>Somehow, he actually obeyed her and plopped onto the sofa in a very un-Naru like fashion. Mai was surprised her plan was actually working. After rummaging around the tea bag, Mai had managed to find a packet of chamomile tea. It was faded and looked worn, but it was still within the use-by date and Mai was desperate at this point. As she began boiling the water, she grabbed a packet of her favorite green tea, too. She was going to be up for at least another hour or two and she did not want to deal with a grumpy Naru without the drink. She glanced over he shoulder and saw Naru watching her intently, but looking more relaxed and she hoped he would settle more into the couch.</p>
<p><br/>The longer she watched him, the more he seemed to be zoned out. It was almost creepy. If he hadn’t asked for tea the second he saw her, she might have gotten Lin to make sure he wasn’t possessed. It was unnerving to her to see her usually focused and dedicated boss acting like such a space cadet.</p>
<p><br/>The teapot whistled, startling them both. She emptied the pot into two cups and set a timer for the bags. She risked a glance back at Naru and he was intently staring at her. Or was he watching the cup instead. Mai wasn’t sure which option worried her more.</p>
<p><br/>Soon she handed him a cup. He sighed when his fingers touched it and a small barely-there smile formed on his lips. He brought it up to his mouth, closed his eyes, inhaled the scent, then took a sip. He seemed to savor its very existence. Mai blushed, realizing she had been staring at him this whole time, turned away and quickly drank her own tea, burning her tongue in the processes.</p>
<p><br/>“Mai really does make the best tea,” came a murmur beside her. The faint smile was still there as he gazed at the cup.</p>
<p><br/>Mai froze. Did Naru really say that? Did <em>the</em> Naru really say that? Did her narcissistic boss actually give her a compliment? Maybe he really was possessed. Mai moved her head to get a better look at his face, then blushed when he finally noticed her.</p>
<p><br/>“I – I, uh, I, um . . . Thank you, Naru,” was all she could stutter out.</p>
<p><br/>The two sat and drank their tea in near silence. The rain continued to patter against the two small windows in the room. Naru’s hint of a smile has long since faded into his trademark frown. The past few days his silence had left Mai feeling awkward and restless, but in this moment, the quiet was welcoming and comfortable. She could hear his soft breathing slow. Mai kept her eyes glued to her half-finished cup of tea. Then she felt a weight against her shoulder. Mai shifted her head and saw a mop of black hair. For a second panic shot through her, then her brain caught up with the present and she realized that no, it wasn’t a ghost or a monster on her, it was Naru. Then her heart stopped for a completely different reason and a thousand different thoughts swirled around her mind.</p>
<p><br/><em>Naru was leaning on her shoulder. He was leaning on her shoulder! Wait leaning? SLEEPING! NAru was SLEEPING on her SHOULDER. Why was he sleeping on her shoulder? He was supposed fall asleep on the couch. Fuck Lin was probably going to show up for his shift soon. What was she going to do if Lin saw them? Would he make fun of her? No, he probably wouldn’t, that was Ayako or Monk’s thing . . . But would he help get Naru off of her? Or would he just go straight to his computer and get to work like normally? </em> Naru shifted slightly. How could she be sure he was really asleep? Maybe he was just messing with her? But then again he did seem really tired and out of it so maybe he really was asleep. Mai glanced down at him again. He really was too handsome. Even in his sleep, even with the dark bags under his eyes, he looked like an angel from a renaissance painting.</p>
<p><br/>Slowly, ever so slowly, Mai put her cup on the table. She noticed a lock of hair out of place and moved to smooth it back. As her fingers brushed against head, he seemed to lean into the touch. Mai’s blush deepened as she watched the display. She continued to stroke his hair as he slept. The rain continued to fall. The sensors they had set up continued to capture nothing.</p>
<p><br/>In the morning they could decide if they wanted to leave the case altogether. In the morning they might find some evidence to stay on site and take care of the haunting then. In the morning Naru would call her an idiot again and she would get mad and call him a jerk. They both knew they didn’t mean it.</p>
<p><br/>But right now, Mai wanted to savor the moment, the sweet sent of tea still in the air, the rain pattering against the small windows, the led screens lighting but the room, and the warm weight on her shoulder.</p>
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